Renaissance was built in Belgium in 1960 as a standard péniche barge to carry cargo along the canals of Europe. Her original cargo was grain and iron ore. She presently serves as a hotel barge, owned and operated by European Waterways. She is one of around 60 barges offering luxury cruises on French waterways.
The barge was built as La Bonne Humeur ('good mood') in 1960, and measures 39 m (128 ft) long by 5.20 m (17 ft) wide. She has a rectangular hull section, bluff bow and a counter-hung rudder, and is effectively the largest-size vessel which can pass through the Freycinet locks in France and Belgium. This corresponds to a potential loading capacity of 350 tons if loading to the maximum draught if 2.20m (a little over 7 ft).
In 1997, she was converted to a hotel barge and underwent another refit in 2006. She was purchased by European Waterways in 2007. She was then taken to a boatyard in Belgium for inspection, maintenance and modifications. The hull has two wear strips welded outside the chine which mean the hard wear of rubbing against lock walls will be absorbed by this sacrificial steel strip.
The barge was renamed Renaissance and began operations on the canals of western Burgundy and the upper Loire in May, 2008. She currently has 4 double cabins allowing her to carry up to 8 passengers. She also has separate crew quarters. The crew of five consists of captain and pilot, deck hand and tour guide, master chef, housekeeper, and waiter.[1] [2] [3]
She has a top speed of 10 knots, but usually cruises at the canal speed limit of 6 km/h.